Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Marinating

I love food.
I love to cook it, I love to try new recipes, I love to try to 'make-up'.. (adjust) recipes. I love to try the recipes... and I just love to eat good yummy food.
I have this recipe.. that I THOUGHT I 'made up'- only to realize that I didnt... it was actually very similar to something that my mom had made in the past... I just did it a little differently.
It was a 'zesty italian chicken & veggies' ... I still make it... easy, light. yummy.
I take chicken breasts and marinate them in zesty italian dressing... I marinate the chicken for as long as I can (24 hours, if possible... but even if you marinate it for a few hours  its fine... or not marinate it all still good, but the longer the better....) I've cooked it in a pan with vegetables - carrots, potatoes, green beans, olives, mushrooms...... just cook it all real good.  I should do it in a slow cooker.. bet would be great.. but anyways- when its all done, it is so yummy. - pair it with some rice, and its delicous.
Ok, im getting to my point now... I know you are thinking to yourself (isnt this a christian blog? - not a food blog?)
So the thing here is the marinating part.
The longer you marinate the better it will be.


What exactly is marination?
Marination is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (aqua marina) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor by immersion in liquid. The liquid in question, the 'marinade', can be either acidic, (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine) or enzymatic (made with ingredients such as pineapple or papaya).[1] In addition to these ingredients, a marinade often contains oils, herbs, and spices to further flavor the food items.
It is commonly used to flavor foods and to tenderize tougher cuts of meat.[2] The process may last seconds or days. Different marinades are used in different cuisines. For example, in Indian cuisine the marinade is usually prepared with a mixture of spices.
(thank you Wikepedia -)

bottom line, you soak food in spices or something before you cook it.... and it makes it yummy (most of the time)
and most of the time, the longer you soak it, the better that food is.

Why not apply this to our spiritual life.
Have you noticed that the more time you spend with God (in His Word, prayer, etc...) the better you feel, or just have a sense of really haviing that 'connection' or relationship with Him?


If we only give God just a few seconds of our time each day - how are we supposed to GROW in Him? thats just barely maintaining a relationship...
Like with my chicken, when im in a hurry- and just throw the chicken, the zesty italian dressing and everything all into the pan, its good, and its food... but not the BEST that it can be.
When you take a few minutes and really spend time with the chicken, and marinate it, and really spend quality time with the chicken, you get better results....

(get it?)

 By marinating yourself in Christ you are seasoning your life...
not just to say 'oh look everyone I spent 10 hours praying.'- nope.
you are seasoning yourself so that you can be in Christ, and with Christ, and so that others can see that love that you have. (make sense??) You are seasoning every aspect of your life. not just your 'spritual aspect.'
When you spend time with God, you are deepening that relationship with God.
Not just maintaining it... you are making it better. you are spending time with Him, listening, talking, praying, praising, being with Him... just making that stronger bond between you and God.. not just 'ok, i've prayed today..i've taken care of that... onto something else...

But it's up to you to make that call on marinating yourself in Christ... No one else can make that decision for you. No one can make you... that is something that you have to decide on your own.

No comments:

Post a Comment